Union Civil War hero’s statue outside NY Capitol vandalized

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Authorities are looking for the culprit who vandalized a Civil War hero’s statue outside the New York Capitol.

State police say someone used red spray paint to write a vulgar word followed by “Colonization, no borders, no nations” on the base of the Gen. Philip Sheridan statue in front of the Capitol in downtown Albany.

A state maintenance crew removed the graffiti after it was discovered Tuesday. It’s unclear when the vandalism occurred, but it was found the day after Columbus Day.

Sheridan was a Union general best known for leading the effort to subdue Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. After the Civil War, he was sent west to lead the U.S. Army’s campaigns against American Indians.

Sheridan’s birthplace is unclear, but some historians believe he may have been born in Albany to Irish immigrant parents.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.